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Justice ministers from 50 US states and territories launched a preliminary investigation into Google's business practices on Monday, Sept. 9. Reuters

Google is in the crosshairs of 50 US states, almost the entire territory. A joint antitrust investigation on online advertising was announced Monday, September 9 with great fanfare by the Ministers of Justice of these states, both Democrats and Republicans.

All united, or almost. Only California, headquarters of Google, and Alabama have chosen not to participate in the investigation. This is a preliminary survey launched by 50 states on the business practices of the US giant, which, like Facebook, dominates online advertising in the United States.

The purpose is simply to determine whether Google is complying with free competition and not abusing its dominant position. " But beware, competition laws do not condemn the monopolies as such, but condemn the abuse of the monopoly, " says François Lévêque, professor of economics at Mines ParisTech.

Google, become very powerful by its search engine, is indeed suspected of directing consumers to Google products or companies that have paid the publicity to be at the top of the page to the detriment of its competitors. The numbers speak for themselves: Google's advertising revenue is more than $ 48 billion in 2019, or 37.2% of market share in the United States, according to eMarketer.

Other digital giants in the viewfinder

Last week, a second group of attorneys general announced the launch of another anti-trust investigation . It is this time Facebook about the personal data of its users and its commercial practices in online advertising. Both investigations are part of a series of anti-trust investigations by the federal state against the California digital giants.

Besides Google and Facebook, Apple and Amazon are also in the line of fire. US authorities are finally starting to take a serious interest in the power of these giant digital platforms. These platforms have an almost complete hold on the advertising and e-commerce market, social networks, online search or control of smartphone application markets. Their influence, their financial power and even their political power have become so important that some American officials even call for their dismantling.

► Also to listen: Investigation against Google: "US states are trying to awaken the authorities of competition"